Treble at the Bass
by GallonsoftheStuff
Summary: Finally, Mrs. Warbeck convinced Hogwarts that it needed a music program. One-shot written for the Camp Hogwarts Challenge. Prompt: Singing - write about being a member of the toad choir.


**A/N:** **Hogwarts Houses Challenges - Camp Hogwarts Challenge, Drabble Club, and The Quidditch Pitch.**

 **Prompt (Camp Hogwarts Challenge): Singing - write about being a member of the toad choir.**

 **Prompt (Drabble Club): Dialogue - "Holy Circe."**

 **Prompt (The Quidditch Pitch): Sentence - A terrified scream broke the silence.**

 **Words: approximately 1100.**

 **Ah, teenage girls and singing. What a wonderful combination.**

 **Disclaimer: *sing-song* I'm not JK Rowling, oh no I'm not. *regular voice* So I don't own anything, yes I don't.**

* * *

A terrified scream broke the silence. At least, it _sounded_ like a terrified scream – more than one Gryffindor stood, alert for danger – but it was only Celestina Warbeck, grinning from ear to ear, who had just come in the portrait hole.

"Holy Circe," muttered one of the disgruntled students, a third-year named Ruth, sitting at one of the tables and doing homework. "What was that all about, Tina?"

The dark-skinned Gryffindor let out another high-pitched noise and rushed over to sit next to the speaker, eyes bright with happiness. "My mother's done it!" she exclaimed excitedly. "She's gotten them to make a choir!"

"Oh," the other Gryffindor responded, less-than-enthused by this explanation. "Is that all?"

"Don't see why that needed a scream," a fifth-year, Jocunda Sykes, grumbled.

Celestina cast a quelling glare in their direction, but Sykes had gone back to her game of Exploding Snap with fourth-year Sidney Todd and wasn't paying attention. Unappeased, the third-year turned back to her initial conversational partner.

"What do you mean, 'Is that all'? They're going to make a choir! Finally, there will be a place I can practice my talents!"

"You 'practice your talents' all over the place now," the other girl pointed out, dipping her quill in ink and jotting down a few more words. "What's so special about there being a choir to do it in?"

This seemed to stump the thirteen-year-old for a moment, but then she grinned. "Because now other people can join in! Anyone with an interest in singing will be able to come together and… and… well, sing!"

Her housemate snorted, eyes on her work as she went back to writing. "You'll outshine everyone in the choir and then no one will want to be a part of it because it'll become all about you. Just like it always is."

Celestina drew back, offended by the implication. "Well…" she said, trying to think quickly around the hurt her friend's words had caused. "Well you're just mad about it because you couldn't carry a tune in a bucket!"

The sour-tempered Gryffindor looked up at her in surprise, mouth opening to say something – but Celestina didn't want to talk to her anymore and bolted back out the portrait hole.

* * *

Several hours later, Ruth found the other girl in an empty classroom on the fifth floor. Celestina looked up from her knees only briefly before turning away, but it was long enough for her friend to see the tear-tracks on her face.

"Tina…"

"Go away."

"Tina, I didn't mean anything by it."

"Just go away!" But the sniffle following the angry command drew the other Gryffindor closer.

"I'm sorry."

The heartfelt apology brought Celestina's eyes around as she studied Ruth, gauging her sincerity before wiping her face on her sleeve. "You should be," she muttered. The other girl took this as an indication that it was okay to join her friend on the floor and sat, shoulder-to-shoulder. A not-entirely-uncomfortable silence stretched between them, intermittently broken by another sniff.

"I didn't mean what I said," Celestina finally offered, sounding reluctant and embarrassed. "That you can't sing."

To her surprise, Ruth only laughed. "Tina, I know I can't sing." Turning her head, the girl grinned. "I'm not offended by the fact that I can't." Her amusement diminished. "I just… I didn't mean to offend _you_."

Celestina's shoulders hunched up by her ears as she crossed her arms on top of her knees and ducked her head. "Why did you say that then?"

"I…" Ruth sighed. "I wasn't really thinking." She paused a beat longer than necessary to make it clear that she was thinking _now_.

"I mean that you've got… you've got a big personality, Tina, a lot of… of presence, I think it's called. And a _lot_ of talent – like, people think you're half a Siren or something, because you're just _that_ good." That made the other girl smile, even though her friend wasn't done. "You'll be the star of the choir for sure. But other people don't like to be second best all the time.

"That won't keep everyone away," she hurried to add when Celestina's face fell. "But… you've got to make sure you can share the limelight, Tina. Make other people feel like stars." Ruth smiled. "I think you can do that – you're really nice." Her expression turned teasing and she bumped her friend's shoulder. "Though you can be a little oblivious about how other people feel sometimes."

The teasing had the intended effect – Celestina faked a shocked gasp, swatting at Ruth. "I am _not_ oblivious! I'll have you know that I am _well_ aware of the fact that _you_ have a crush on that red-headed sixth-year, Ignatius Prewett!"

The other Gryffindor started giggling. " _Everyone_ knows that! _He_ is the only one who hasn't noticed and that's just because he's even more oblivious than _you_!"

"You take that back!" But there wasn't any rancor in the words, marred as they were by girlish giggles, and Ruth just laughed when Celestina started shaking her, trying and failing to give the impression that she was actually mad.

"So much for all that acting skill!"

She shrieked when Celestina decided to bring magic into the mock fight, shooting her with a spray of water from her wand – for the next few minutes, the two girls chased each other around the room, throwing harmless water spells back and forth. When they squelched their way back into the common room, soaking wet and grinning, all was well between them.

* * *

The night before the beginning of Christmas break, the choir – dubbed "The Frog Choir", much to Celestina's amusement and her mother's chagrin – had its first recital. Together with the surprisingly tuneful toads – which one girl kept calling "frogs", hence the misnomer – they sang a number of carols, Muggle and Wizarding alike, and ended their performance with a "spectacular" rendition of the school song, according to Professor Dippet (with whom Celestina very much agreed).

It could have been better – but it was so close to perfect that Celestina didn't care. Plus, she had made so many friends who loved to sing too, there wasn't anything that could bring her down. And Ruth, despite not being able to 'carry a tune in a bucket', was able to participate as well – she was the one who figured out the toads' musical talent. Her toad, Rupert, was the first to join the group.

All in all, it was a very promising start. Celestina could hardly wait to get back from winter break and start rehearsals again.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain! What a glorious feeling, I'm happy again!**

 **...Okay, so I don't sound nearly as good as Celestina. Doesn't mean I'm not gonna sing occasionally!**


End file.
